Mug Cat Face Drawing By Mark Edward Westerfield

Cat Face. Drawing by Peoria, Illinois, artist Mark Edward Westerfield. I drew this at about my age 15 ... As I write this now in 2026, that would be 59 years ago! It won 1st Place in our Student Art Show. This was for our art class scratch board project where we had to use a sharp tool to scratch away the top layer of black India Ink to reveal the white paper-board underneath. It is a rather unforgiving process. We were allowed to use a reference source from a stack of old books and magazines that the teacher had on the window ledge by his desk. In an old book he had I found a photograph of a cat which I chose for my reference source. I was a nervous wreck as I drew this never knowing if my next scratch would ruin it. I think the best feature would be those eyes. I often would tell people that had anyone showed this to me and offered me a million dollars to do it I would tell them I could not do such a thing. But here it is. I am left-handed, so I did this with my left hand. I took some art classes later in 1970 - 1973 but never did anything in way of art over a 30 year period (my age 21 1/2 - 51 1/2) as I worked at an offset lithographic print shop helping to print liquor labels! When that plant closed in 2003-2004, I decided to try taking fine art and computer art at our local college 2004 2005 where I succeeded in graduating top of my class 2005 with highest math placement and rare high geometry score! But, after all that, I got a real job in a warehouse counting construction tractor replacement parts we received from around the world, auditing them, repacking them, and sending them out to world wide dealers. So, this had nothing to do with art, to the anguish of my teachers. I am republishing this card in 2026. I hope it sells. The past 4 years and especially the past year have been particularly difficult. I worked to my age 70 when I had a subarachnoid brain hemorrhage at home after working 2nd shift. I had to relearn to walk and regain my balance and my mom was about to turn 90 and she had had severe Polio crippling her left arms and shoulder and neck so she needed my help even more in her older age. I was already staying with her trying to help her all by myself. Then, about a year ago, I found out I had high risk stage III almost stage IV Prostate Cancer (worrying it had spread to my neck lymph glands which finally proved benign). My PSA went as high as 51.42 more than 10 x normal. I had internal surgery radiation which made me very sick (mom had to be put in respite care a couple weeks) then I went through 23 external radiations. December 26, 2025, when I only had 2 more to go, I lost my beautiful 93 year old mom in an awful accident at home she fell down the stairs at 5 am as I was asleep I woke to a tragic nightmare, Mom had lost most of her sight in her last year, her previously better left eye lost nearly all sight from brain damage. Her right eye was 20 / 300 very poor vision. Taking care of her by myself was exhausting 24 / 7 and I had cancer. My radiation treatments and 30 pills a day managed to get my PSA down to < 0.1 undetectable the last 3 x. I wish my mom could know this. The weight of her care had been on my shoulders for some 13 years and then I was executor of her will and it took 3 months to complete and for me to buy out my siblings so I could still keep living here in mom's house where she had lived 41 years. My 3 siblings all live far away, Thank You so much for reading this and for buying this card. Mark Edward Westerfield 2026.